KUANTAN: The unusually heavy rainfall was one of the major reasons for the sudden floods which struck several villages in Cheroh, Raub on Saturday.
State Civil Defence Force director Zainal Yusoff said on that particular day, the average rainfall recorded for an hour was 102 millimeters prompting Sungai Lipis to burst its banks.
He said the existing drainage system in the area could not accommodate the overflowing river water, resulting in the houses to be inundated.
"A post-mortem conducted by the State Department of Irrigation and Drainage found that the respective areas recorded an average hourly rainfall of 102 millimeters. The river burst its banks and the drainage system was unable to cope with the intense rainfall.
"As a precaution, the relevant agencies have been instructed to clean up the drains so that similar problems will not occur in the future," he said.
On Sunday, Raub became the first district in Pahang to be hit by floods in the current monsoon season after Sungai Lipis burst its banks following incessant heavy rain since Friday.
The floods also triggered landslides along a 4km stretch of the only road connecting Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Kelit to the surrounding areas.
Zainal said the Public Works Department is in the midst of building a temporary access road for motorcyclists so that villagers can travel in and out of their settlement.
"It is a major landslide and It might require some time to build a temporary road. They can still walk on foot but the road is closed to all vehicles," he said.
Meanwhile, Zainal said Raub has fully recovered from the floods which hit the district last week, with the remaining 26 evacuees receiving the green light to return home at 7.30am today.
He said three relief centres at the district which were opened since late on Saturday night were closed in stages beginning Monday afternoon.